Stemming the flow

With water bills on the rise, a little conservation and a low-flow toilet can save you hundreds of dollars a year

Mike Holmes talks to a homeowner about energy-efficient options that can help heat the water in a home's water tank.

Photograph by: Handout photo
, The Holmes Group

Sorry to spoil your day, but we need to talk about your vaulting water bill.

Water rates are in geyser mode in many cities across Canada. Ottawa, for instance, is being hit with a six per cent increase this year with more hikes down the road.

According to numbers recently released by the city, that means the average household water and sewer bill will jump from $636 now to $1,045 in 10 years, a startling increase of 74 per cent.

Now the good news: You can do something about it. What's more, by reducing your water consumption, you reduce strain on the city's infrastructure, including the water filtration system, and cut the energy needed to produce and then dispose of all that water. You'll also help improve our image as water hogs: Canadians each use more than 340 litres of water per day, the second highest amount in the world.

Here's what we found when it comes to cutting back:

Flushing money down the toilet

Replacing an older, 12-litre-per-flush toilet with a dual-flush or low-flow version that uses six litres or less can save a homeowner about $116 a year (we calculated most of these savings, which are approximate, by applying 2012 Ottawa water rates to savings calculated by the City of Hamilton in 2007; the City of Ottawa website recommends readers check the Hamilton publication A Guide to Wise Water Use, downloadable at water.greenventure.ca).

For a family of four, the cost of replacing a standard with an efficient toilet, roughly $350, should be paid for in about three years.

A badly leaking toilet can waste 200,000 litres a year, according to Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency (the office's website overflows with information on residential water conservation: oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/newhomes/8840).

To test for a leak, pour a little food colouring or cold coffee into the tank and wait a few minutes; if the water in the bowl changes colour without your flushing the toilet, it leaks.

Singing in the shower

"The toilet and the shower are probably where people waste the most money," says Peter Schneider, a kitchen and bath designer at Ottawa's Westend Bath and Kitchen. "People let the water run in the shower and a family can waste thousands of litres in a year."

He recommends installing a thermostatic valve so you can shut the shower off while lathering and have your original hot/cold setting when you turn the water back on. A good thermostatic valve, including an on/off switch for those sudsy moments, costs about $300 and, according to Schneider, is a standard part of shower upgrades.

A low-flow shower head, less than $40 at building materials stores and an easy DIY project, can save a family of four about $158 a year. The City of Ottawa classifies a shower head that produces nine litres of water or less per minute as low-flow, although NRCan says even two litres per minute will be a comfortable shower (the agency says installing a low-flow head can also save 15 per cent a year on your water-heating costs).

Tip: Buy a waterproof shower timer and set it at five minutes. The simplest version is the Niagara Shower Coach Timer, a rotating, sand-filled hourglass with a suction cup, at amazon.com for $3.95 (U.S.) plus shipping.

The big drip

You already know that leaky faucet is wasteful.

Schneider says you're also a spendthrift if you leave the water running while brushing your teeth or rinsing vegetables. In fact, he says letting the water run is right up there with inefficient toilets and shower heads as one of the biggest residential wastrels.

One solution? To wash leafy greens, submerge them in a small bowl of water and dry in a salad spinner.

A low-flow valve aerator in faucets saves water by mixing it with air, but without sacrificing pressure. Available at building materials stores for less than $10, they simply screw into the faucet if you have a standard threaded faucet. You may already have an aerator — the little mesh screen is easily visible where the water comes out — but check the flow rate printed on the side. For kitchen faucets, it should be rated 2.75 GPM (gallons per minute) or less; bathroom faucets can be as little as one GPM.

Shoot for the stars

Compared to a standard dishwasher, an Energy Star machine can save almost 5,900 litres of water during its lifetime; that jumps to more than 194,000 litres in the case of a clothes washer (that would fill two big backyard swimming pools).

Those energy-efficient models also slash your electricity bills. At Hydro Ottawa's current rates, for example, switching from a medium to a high-efficiency clothes washer and using it during off-peak hours (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) can save $700 over 14 years, about the life expectancy of a machine.

Speaking of washing, the International Car Wash Association says we use up to 630 litres of water during a driveway car wash. Try switching to a bucket of suds and rinse conservatively.

Bounteous jugs

Storing drinking water in the fridge rather than running the tap until it's cold can save a family of four $32 a year.

If you do store water in the fridge, use a lid to prevent the water from absorbing fridge odours.

Pitchers, like those made by Brita, contain a filter that traps sediment and reduces chlorine and lead content. Available in home and hardware stores, Brita pitchers start around $15.

Other ideas

Greywater systems collect, sanitize and store shower and bathtub water for reuse in toilets. They start around $2,000, but proponents say they can reduce fresh water use by up to 40 per cent.

In the summer, you can save even more water by trading in your oscillating lawn sprinkler for one that distributes water at a low angle. Oscillating sprinklers lose up to 50 per cent of their water through evaporation, according to NRCan. The Orbit Watermaster at Home Depot is $9.99.

Timers for your sprinkler system — as little as $14.50 at Lee Valley Tools — can also save water.

And replacing 600 square feet of water-hungry lawns with native grasses and other drought-resistant ground covers can save up to $82 a year in watering costs.

Total savings by upgrading your toilet and shower head, using a water jug, and reducing grass watering: $388 a year.

Less is best

10 simple ways to save water

When it comes to conserving water and saving money on your water and sewer bill, the City of Ottawa offers this straightforward advice: Practise the three Rs (reduce, repair and retrofit). According to its website (ottawa.ca), here's how: Reduce: Be aware of your water use and consider ways to use less.

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